Fig. 8: Striatal axonal density and stereological quantification of TH+ cell bodies in the substantia nigra.

a–h Bar graphs illustrate the semi-quantitative measurement of TH+ axonal fiber density expressed as the percentage of the contralateral striatal side, post-PBS, α-syn MONO and PFF injection in the striatum. Average values of the 6 rostro-caudal striatal levels quantified are shown in a males and b females at 1 month p.i. Average and separate values of the 6 rostro-caudal striatal levels quantified are shown in c, d for males and e, f females at 6 months p.i, together with representative photos of one section at striatal level 0.38 from bregma in each group. Average values of the 6 rostro-caudal striatal levels quantified in α-syn PFF-injected animals are shown at g 1 month p.i and b 6 months p.i. l Low magnification photos show representative nigral sections immunostained for TH and higher magnification photos show the ipsilateral SN from WT and CD163KO male and female mice after α-syn PFF injection. i–p Stereological quantification of TH+ neurons in SN i–j, k, m as percentage of contralateral or o–p total number of neurons. Bar graphs with individual points illustrate the average number of surviving TH+ neurons in PBS, α-syn MONO and PFF-injected WT and CD163KO males and females at i, j 1 and k, m and α-syn MONO and PFF-injected animals at 6 months p.i; n correlation between the striatal TH+ axonal density and the number of TH + SN neurons (light gray symbols represent female and dark gray males). o Quantification of total number of TH+ neurons in the contralateral SN and in n ipsilateral SN. Scale bar for lower magnification photos represents 12.5 mm, and in higher magnification photos 100 μm as shown in (l). Values are mean ± SEM (n = 4–10). Statistics: two-way ANOVA followed by Sidak’s multiple comparison test. *p < 0.05, **<0.01, ***<0.001, ****<0.0001.